Cuba Conservation and Full Legality Information for US citizens

CUBA IS 100% OPEN & LEGAL TO US CITIZEN TRAVEL

The Office of Foreign Assets and Control (OFAC) released on June 5th a revision to the general licenses allowed for travel under the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR) from the US Department of Treasury. These amendments included the removal of the people to people educational exchange general license, which many of our travelers have been using in the previous years.

Furthermore, the updated regulations have also included a grandfathering clause permitting any travel under this license that was confirmed with at least one travel related transaction prior to June 5, 2019.

In the future, this general license will be unavailable for use in certifying your legal travel to Cuba. Nevertheless, we still have ALL of the other licenses that you can travel under, and Cuba is still open to US travelers!

For the past couple of years we have implemented a comprehensive program at all of our locations for fishing and diving in Cuba that falls under the "workshops, clinics and public performances" category 515.567(b). This program brings together Cuban guides, Cuban marine biologists, and travelers from all over the world including the USA, in an effort to further educate and build a participatory workshop program surrounding the sustainable management and conservation of the marine resources within Cuba. This program features a full week itinerary and schedule of activities that not only educates all of these travelers of this unique system, but also incorporates participation in the workshop in order to spread this experience and knowledge of marine park preservation and sustainable management worldwide.

At the end of the week, all of the workshop participants receive an official certificate of their participation in this program. This supporting document along with an included itinerary and travel affidavit certifies the US travelers' legal trip to Cuba.

Rest assured, we have taken all of the necessary steps during our long history in Cuba to ensure that the US travelers are participating in our programs legally. In addition, we guarantee that there will be no direct transactions made with any of the entities or sub-entities in the restricted list as issued by OFAC.

We want you to continue to travel to Cuba to enjoy the pristine bounty of protected marine resources that you have come to love. All the while, under the workshops and clinics license, you will now be engaging in an active workshop within these protected marine parks furthering their progress and strengthening the initiative. We hope that through your experience of this sustainable management system and your engagement in this workshop that you will translate the importance of this conservation system to your home states and countries. Since 1992, this is a goal that we have set out to spread worldwide and will only be able to continue this initiative with your participation and support. We all know that our oceans, environment and wildlife are in peril throughout the world. In Cuba, we have worked tirelessly to preserve these unique and vulnerable environments and the precious animals within. We hope that you will regard Avalon and Cuba as a leader in spreading the mission of sustainable conservation to current and future generations to ensure there are pristine places left on earth to enjoy and protect.

Client Testimonials

TripAdvisor, has announced that it is among the first U.S. travel companies to receive a license from the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to provide and sell travel-related services to travelers to Cuba.

TripAdvisor

My wife and daughter and I recently returned from a fantastic ten-day trip to Cuba. Avalon were incredibly generous to facilitate our trip, introducing us to Sandra Vasquez and her team of dedicated Cuban professionals.